


You're Real

by Ms_Peppersimp



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: AU, Cute, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, I Love You, M/M, One Shot, Online Dating, Short, they're freaking adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ms_Peppersimp/pseuds/Ms_Peppersimp
Summary: Scorpius decides to try his hand at online dating, and who should swipe right on him, but Albus Potter.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	1. You're Real

**Author's Note:**

> In my mind, this takes place during quarantine, and they aren't wizards. Just ordinary boys who fall for each other over text :)  
> Two chapters of fluff with a happy ending :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The online meeting, and first date of Al and Scor from the perspective of Scorpius.

This is incredibly stupid.  
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.  
Stupid is the only word that is running through Scorpius’ head as he tries for the tenth time to flatten the creases in his shirt. He’s normally better at thinking of words, words that aren’t so… stupid, dammit. But sitting at his desk staring at his laptop waiting for his date to call him is-  
Stupid. It’s fucking stupid.  
Why did he ever think it was a good idea to get a dating app? Sure, he hasn’t dated anyone in a year, and he hasn’t, well, been with anyone in two, but he’s perfectly fine on his own. His Uni work is time consuming enough, and he can entertain himself in more ways than one. Nevertheless he downloaded a dating app and thought, what the hell, might as well try to see if he could actually be desirable to anyone.  
He’d uploaded a picture of him at the beach, the lighting was nice and he looked tanner than normal, which was always a plus.  
But when he started doing all the “swiping” on guys, he wasn’t having much luck. They all looked fake, and they weren’t even trying to hide it. Duck faces, filters, duck face filters, they all flooded Scorpius’ screen. He wouldn’t deny that it felt nice when these duck men swiped right on him, but he didn’t want to talk to anyone who wasn’t real.  
Then he swiped right on him.  
The same “he” he was waiting to call him for their scheduled virtual date.  
Albus Potter.  
Scorpius remembers his breath hitching when he saw Albus’ profile picture: it was of him, his body covered in confetti, laughing at something that must have been said only moments before. He must have been at a party, what with the confetti, and there was a beautiful sunset in the background of the photo, but Scorpius only saw his smile. His smile and his eyes, which were bright green and not because of a filter.  
He was… perfect.  
Scorpius saw the simple text, “I love the beach”, in his inbox from Albus, and he had to restrain himself from sending an abundance of heart emojis. Before he could even respond though, Albus had sent him another text:  
“Sorry, I probably should have introduced myself first, I’m Albus.”  
He smiled at the second response; this beatuiful man was a real person.  
“No, you’re fine, I love the beach too- obviously. I’m Scorpius.”  
“Nice to um- text you, Scorpius :)”  
The little smile made him swoon, “Nice to text you too Albus “I love the beach” Potter :)”  
It had continued from that point on, them texting the rest of the day and into the night about whatever they could think of: school, family, favorite foods, dream superpowers, preferred nicknames, etc. The entire conversation just made Scorpius fall harder and harder for the man; the fact he was talking to someone so out of his league with the same ease as an old friend was unreal. At some point around 2am, when Scorpius was fighting with his eyes to stay awake, Albus asked the question:  
“Listen, Scor, I really like you. You’ve easily been the best person I’ve talked to in a long time. Would you want to Facetime sometime soon?”  
“Are you asking me on a virtual date?”  
“Maybe I am…”  
“In that case, how about tomorrow? Because I really like you too and I’m not sure I can wait.”  
“Exactly what I was thinking ;)”  
Scorpius couldn’t believe that a winking smiley face could make him feel so many things at once.  
“;)”

And here Scorpius was now, regretting ever suggesting a date for the day after he had stayed up until two in the morning texting the boy he was trying to impress. He thinks he put enough concealer over his eye bags and that his dark shirt brings out his eyes, but he’s worried it won’t be enough. What if he doesn’t look as attractive as he did in his profile pic? What if Albus tries to have an actual conversation with him and he can’t speak? What if-  
Fuck. Al’s calling.  
Here goes nothing.  
“Heyyyyyyyy” Scorpius has never sounded more awkward in his life.  
“Hey Scor!” Al flashes him a bright smile and Scorpius can’t take his eyes off of him. Like, he knew he was supposed to look at the boy he was currently on a “date” with, but he really can’t even try to not look at him. His brown hair just slightly screams bedhead, but somehow in an elegant way, and his freckles are even more prominent than in his picture. Not to mention that his eyes are glowing and making Scorpius turn red.  
“H-how are you?” Scorpius probably looks so stupid right now, voice cracking like he’s thirteen.  
Al doesn’t respond immediately, which makes Scorpius follow the other boy’s gaze as it traces over his body. He tries to see where Al is looking. Does he have a stain somewhere? Is there dried toothpaste on his face? Did he-  
“What? Sorry, I was…” Al flushes and smiles timidly, “I was just looking at you. You’re… you’re even more gorgeous than you’re picture.”  
This makes Scorpius want to leap through his laptop and smother Albus where he sits. But, unfortunately, there is no such thing as magic, and he probably shouldn’t come off that strong anyway.  
He’s ops for a response instead, “I could say the same about you, Al. It’s like you’ve come straight out of my dreams. I can’t believe you’re real.”  
Scorpius’ own words make him blush even more, had he really just said that?  
But when he glances back at Albus, the brunette is looking at him like Scorpius is the only boy that’s ever existed.  
“I’m real, I promise.” Al whispers, and for a moment it’s like they’re sharing the same air. Scorpius can feel the electricity come through the screen and course through his body.  
He smiles, “I am too.”  
And Albus smiles back.


	2. In Real Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus' perspective of the first date, and all the wonderful things that came after <3

“H-How are you?”  
Did Scorpius say something? Al doesn’t even know because he’s too busy being starstruck by the boy on the other side of the screen. Don’t get him wrong, he knows Scorpius is hot, but to see him in front of him, after the night of strangely intimate texting they’d shared, it’s a lot for him to take.  
Because Scorpius isn’t just hot. He’s downright gorgeous.  
His blonde hair is even more pristine than in his profile picture, and his eyes are so gentle and welcoming, and God his lips are-  
Ok wait, Al is pretty sure Scor said something.  
“What? Sorry, I was…” Al feels his face go hot, “I was just looking at you. You’re… you’re even more gorgeous than your picture.”  
Scor’s eyes grow ten times their size at that, and Al is completely gone. He’s lost forever.  
“I could say the same about you, Al. It’s like you’ve come straight out of my dreams. I can’t believe you’re real.”  
Oh my God. Is it completely insane to fall for someone you’ve known for less than twenty four hours and never actually met?  
“I’m real, I promise.”  
Albus wonders if Scorpius can feel the same heat that he does coming off of his laptop. He notices Scor’s gaze swipe over his lips and he shivers despite everything keeping them apart.  
“I am too.” Scorpius smiles.  
Albus smiles back and thinks it is completely insane to fall for someone you’ve known for less than twenty four hours and never actually met.  
But he’s falling anyway.

***  
Thankfully the world is no longer burning, (at least in one way) meaning that after a month of face times, texts, and slightly (very) inappropriate dreams on Al’s part, Albus and Scorpius can finally meet in person.  
And Al is fucking terrified.  
Not only are there so many logistical things to worry about, such as what to wear and where to go, but then there’s the whole “being in love” thing that he isn’t even sure if he should mention or not. He hadn’t said the three words yet, waiting for when they could really see each other.  
Which was today.  
Almost on cue, Scor texts him his usual “good morning, Al :)” complete with a comma and everything; it never fails to make Al smile, even if he’s gotten the same text for thirty days in a row. He really couldn’t believe that Scorpius agreed to continue having virtual dates in the first place, so if Scor even liked him half as much as Albus loved him, he would be more than happy.  
He gets another buzz, “So I was thinking that for today we can meet up at that outdoor sculpture garden? You can totally say no if you have a different idea.”  
Albus typed back frantically, “That sounds great! Better than what I was thinking” which was nothing.  
“Great :) We can meet there around 8?”  
“Sounds great bf ;)” SHIT. Al had not meant to type bf. He’s done it before, many many times just to see what the letters would look like under Scorpius’ contact picture, but his thumb’s never been this clumsy.  
“See you soon, bf ;) I can’t wait”  
Scorpius typed it back.  
Well this is certainly a new development.  
They still haven’t had the “are we calling each other boyfriends?” conversation yet, but all of Al’s family back home knows Scorpius as “the cute boyfriend”, so it brings Albus great joy that maybe Scor refers to him the same, or is at least comfortable in doing so. Maybe there is a chance that Scor likes him as much as he does… or even loves him?  
Nope. No time to think about that, Albus only has twelve hours before his date to pick an outfit and his words. And that is not nearly enough time.

Albus only visited the sculpture garden once before when he had first moved here for uni, but he wasn’t here at night. Now, in pitch black, he can see why Scorpius chose it. Not only is all the artwork spotlighted against the dark sky, but there are thousands of fairy lights strung across the trees and lighting the pathway for them to walk.  
Oh, and it’s extremely romantic.  
Al tries to let the beautiful visions distract him from the pounding in his chest that has been going on for the past ten minutes. He figures Scor should be here by now because he always talks about being thirty minutes early to things, but it appears Albus is the only one waiting by the main entrance.  
What if Scorpius has been catfishing him this entire time? What if he’s actually using Al for some cruel social experiment and he’s laughing at him somewhere from some hidden camera? What if-  
There’s a patch of light by the street that Albus can see is moving towards him briskly, almost being hit by a few cars along the way. He almost moves to meet it, but it’s already approaching him.  
Scorpius Malfoy.  
“Hey, sorry, I was going to be like thirty minutes early, but I left the tickets at my apartment and-” Scor is clearly rambling, but Albus can’t hear a word.  
Because just like on their first date, Al can only look at him.  
His hair is not pristine like usual, having been momentarily brushed up in a gust of winter wind, and his skin is a bit paler, but still reflects the multicolored lights in front of it. His eyes are wide and liquid silver. And his lips-  
So real Albus could reach out and touch them.  
“It’s you.” Al breathes out.  
Scorpius stops whatever spiral his words were on and fixes his eyes on Albus. Al considers looking away under his gaze, but he’d rather keep looking at the boy in front of him.  
“Yeah, and it’s you, Albus.”  
Al’s cheeks turn pink as he steps forward and grabs Scorpius’ hand. It feels solid and sturdy, something new but so familiar. “You’re real.”  
Scor gives Albus a gaze that he doesn’t quite recognize, but he’s very excited to decipher.  
“And so are you.”

The pair walk along the path of the garden talking of school, family, the meaning of life, and so much more. The fact that Albus gets to hear about Scor’s day in person and feel the air that hits him as the boy waves around his hand to describe such mundane activities brings him a joy that he never thought he would feel. They haven’t released hands since they began their walk over an hours ago, and by this time they’ve made three loops around the entire garden. The person in the booth makes a tapping sign on her wrist, signaling they need to get going. Al feels himself tense. He’s been putting off expressing his truly enormous feelings, and now he had to before it was too late.  
Albus leads Scorpius to a bench by the gate, squeezing as many moments as he can out of the remaining time they have. He notices Scor shiver in brisk breeze, scooting closer to Al on the metal bench.  
“Can I offer you my coat, sir?” Al tries to make it light, anything to make what he’s going to say next less intense.  
“How kind of you,” Scorpius smiles and Albus is shocked he hasn’t spilled the beans yet, “but I think I’ll just use you as a coat.” And with that, Scor lifts Al’s arm, unclasping their hands, and brings it around himself so his head is leaning on Albus’ shoulder and his breath is hot on the brunette’s neck.  
And that’s when Albus finally breaks.  
“Scor, I love you.”  
He can feel Scorpius lift his head and look at him, but he can do nothing but stare ahead at some abstract sculpture that Albus thinks looks an awful lot like a man with a cock hat on.  
“I love you a lot, and I have since- honestly, since we had our first date. This past month has been simultaneously the greatest and worst month of my life because on one hand I met you, but on the other we couldn’t ever see each other and Jesus, Scor- that’s been fucking torture. You have no idea how many- uh, scratch that,” Albus coughs awkwardly, “but really, I just love you so much and you don’t have to love me too, it’s so early for that, I just had to say it because-”  
“Hey, Al.” Scorpius whispers in his ear. Albus wanta to just savior the sound of his voice, but he knows Scor wants him to look at him.  
So he does.  
And Scor is smiling.  
He’s smiling bigger than he ever has on FaceTimes, and Albus didn’t think he could get any more beautiful, but he’s clearly been proven wrong.  
“Al,” he’s still whispering, like he’s trying to keep the trees from knowing what he’s about to say, “I love you too. You’re the first person I think of when I wake up, and the last one when I fall asleep. I would have spent my entire life having only virtual dates and texting sessions with you if it meant we could be together. You had me at that stupid little smiling winky face, Albus. You’ve had me all this time.”  
For all the thinking Al had done, he hadn’t planned on hearing that; and now having exactly what and who he’s always wanted, he isn’t sure how to respond.  
So he ops for a kiss.  
He brings his arm that’s around Scor already to hold his neck, finally able to feel the soft hair. His other hand clutches at Scor’s shirt, grabbing a fistfull to make sure he doesn’t move. Scorpius doesn’t plan on moving anywhere, as he wraps both of his arms around Albus’ hips, turning him so they can be face to face. Al’s mind goes completely blank; the only senses functioning are touch and taste. He wants to cry as Scor bites at his lip and brings his tongue into his mouth; he’s wanted this for so long, he didn’t realize how it would feel when he finally had it.  
Scorpius makes a soft moaning sound in his mouth as Albus pulls his hair, when suddenly they’re interrupted by an insistent bell signaling the sculpture garden is closing. They pull apart, but keep their hands in place. Albus meets Scorpius’ eyes that have gone shades darker. God, his boyfriend looks gorgeous.  
Wait…  
“Does this mean we’re boyfriends?” Al breathes out.  
It takes a second for Scor’s face to change, but when it does it looks confused. As Scorpius pulls away, Albus begins to think he’s ruined everything already.  
“Forget it, Scor-”  
“I thought we already were boyfriends.”  
It’s Al’s turn to gape. There’s no way he would have missed them labelling they’re relationship.  
“Um, we’ve never actually said…” he trails off, watching Scor’s confused face turn to one of embarrassment, turning red under the lights.  
“Oh.” The boy’s voice is so small, and Al has an urge to laugh, but he knows that would be inrecibly rude, so he ops to stand and offer his hand for Scor; they’re being kicked out after all.  
“Scorpius, for the record, I will be your boyfriend. If you’ll have me.”  
The boy on the bench looks up and offers a shy smile, taking Albus’ hand and standing.  
“I will. Of course I will, I just can’t believe I thought-”  
Al finally chuckles and pecks his boyfriend on the lips, “It’s ok, love. I’ve thought of you as my boyfriend for weeks.”  
“So I’m not out of my mind!” Scor says a bit too loudly, causing the already pissed off garden worker to give them a scowl as they exit the gate, “I mean, what was I supposed to think when you texted me “bf” today?”  
Albus laughs as Scorpius leads him down the street, “That was the best mistake of my life.”  
Scor nudges him in the shoulder, and Al responds with a squeeze of the hand.  
“I meant it when I typed it, but it was just wistful thinking at the time.”  
“Well there’s no need to be wistful any longer.” Scor smiles at him, and Albus’ heart explodes, knowing full well that that smile means their date isn’t ending here, but at Scorpius’ apartment.  
Albus never thought he would find the love of his life online, but here he is walking hand in hand with the boy who has captured his heart.  
Scorpius was even better in real life.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave comments and Kudos and go follow me on Tumblr @Ms-peppersimp !


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